


Chase Away the Bad Dreams

by M_D_Wilson



Category: SSF, Super Science Friends
Genre: Gen, basically Albert came out the vat a toddler, he’s BABY, hi welcome to my newest AU, this is short and sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-26
Updated: 2019-11-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21569299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M_D_Wilson/pseuds/M_D_Wilson
Summary: Albert has a nightmare, and Tapputi is there for him. That’s it, that’s the Fic. It’s just sweet and self-indulgent.
Kudos: 12





	Chase Away the Bad Dreams

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> Howdy y’all! This is just a little fix that my good friend roidadidou gave me inspiration for!! pls check out his fics they’re criminally underrated and very well written.

Albert was scared. He wasn’t entirely sure why, though, as the blurry images of his nightmare began to fade away. He just knew that he was scared, alone in the dark in a bed that was far too big. He sat up slowly, looking around the room for something. Something with big teeth, extra arms, and skin that was much too blue to be human. A single image of the monster from his nightmare flickered in front of him and he cried out. Instantly, he felt ashamed for it. He was supposed to be brave now, wasn’t he? Mr. Churchill had told him that he was a big boy now, and that big boys were brave boys! 

_So why was he struggling to hold back tears as he hid under his blanket?_

Albert froze when the door to his bedroom slowly creaked open. He closed his eyes as tightly as he could, as though something as simple as closing his eyes would ward off whatever monster had come to steal him away. Then his light was clicked on, chasing away every last shadow that the monster could’ve taken refuge in. 

“Albert?” Tapputi whispered, clearing her throat to get rid of that just-woken-up rasp she always got. “You alright, little guy?” she asked. Albert peeked out from underneath his blanket, hesitating before he shook his head. The elderly scientist only offered him her hand and a tired smile. “C’mon, I’ll fix you a glass of water. You can tell me what’s wrong after you’ve had a drink, okay?” she suggested. Albert nodded and grasped her hand tightly, his free hand holding onto the headboard as he climbed down. 

He shivered when his feet hit the wooden floor, the sudden cold shocking the last of his sleepiness away. He gestured towards his chest of drawers, and Tapputi got the message. She waited patiently while he got a new pair of socks on, and couldn’t help but grin when she realized they were a pair she’d made for him. 

“You really like those woolen socks, huh?” she asked, taking Albert’s hand once more. He nodded, offering up one of his shy little smiles that seemed to light up the room. “Good! Next time I make you some, I’ll get you to pick out the colors for the wool,” Tapputi decided. Albert just hummed quietly in response, swinging their arms back and forth a bit as they walked toward the kitchen. Between Albert’s short legs and Tapputi’s tired body, they moved rather slowly. Neither minded, though, because they enjoyed the other’s company. 

Tapputi glanced down at the three-year-old, feeling that old warmth begin to seep into her bones. It had been a long time since she’d spent this much time in the company of a child, and she’d missed it more than she’d realized. Even without the usual chatter of a small child, Albert managed to make every day a little bit brighter. With everything going on outside the Clock Tower, Tapputi supposed that they could all use a little more brightness in their lives. 

“Two glasses of water, coming right up!” Tapputi called, rinsing out two small, plastic cups before she filled them with cold water. She helped Albert up onto a grownup chair at the dining room table, then set his cup down before she took her usual spot at the head of the table. Albert drank from the cup greedily, the cold water soothing an ache in his throat he hadn’t noticed until now. Tapputi watched him closely, taking the occasional sip from her own cup as she did. “... You alright, little guy?” she asked once he’d finally finished his water. 

“... Had a bad dream,” Albert mumbled, staring into his cup. His words sort of melted together, the syllables coming out in a jumbled mess. Tapputi was just glad that he would speak around her. It wasn’t something he really did around the others, not that they’d mentioned, at least. 

“And it scared you awake, huh?” Tapputi prompted. Albert nodded, sniffling before he wiped at his eyes. “Everyone has bad dreams sometimes, Albert. It’s okay if you get scared of them,” Tapputi said. Albert was silent again, tears streaming freely down his face. “... Hey, do you want to sit with me in my room for a bit? The bad dreams can’t follow you there, promise,” Tapputi said. Albert only held his hands out in response. Tapputi nodded and got out of her chair, then picked Albert up so she could carry him on up. 

He hid his face in the crook of her neck, letting out the occasional watery hiccup or muffled sob. While Albert had already managed to forget just what his bad dream had been about, he hadn’t been able to shake the uneasy, cornered feeling it had given him. He had felt smaller than usual, like a rabbit that had stumbled into a den of ravenous lions. A den with absolutely no escape, one that nobody else could reach in time to rescue him. He didn’t like the helpless, cold feeling the dream left him with or the bitter, almost metallic taste on his tongue that the water hadn’t been able to wash away. 

“Want me to rock you, little guy?” Tapputi asked, waiting for Albert’s nod of approval before she sat down in her rocking chair. She gave Albert time to readjust himself in her lap, then began to slowly rock. Between her warmth, the comforting motion of the chair, and the light scent of her perfume, it didn’t take Albert long to fall back asleep in Tapputi’s arms. She kept rocking until her own eyes grew heavy, the chair only coming to a stop when she fell asleep. 

When Freud found them both the next morning, he didn’t ask why they’d fallen asleep in the rocking chair. He just let Tapputi lean on him while they headed to the kitchen for breakfast, and held Albert’s little hand in his. 


End file.
